Charles Barkley is not convinced by the Denver Nuggets' ability to contend for a title, comparing them to rhinestones — as they appear to be real diamonds at first, but soon reveal their true nature.

“It’s not real,” said Barkley during the second part of a Thursday doubleheader, according to Chris Dempsey of Altitude Sports. “It’s like some of them diamonds you give people. They not real.”

Barkley has been a proponent of the Nuggets and effusively backed them last season until they fell to the Portland Trail Blazers in the second round of the playoffs.

The Nuggets have done well enough to secure the second spot in a loaded West as of now, but have yet to convince Barkley and other analysts of their championship potential. They squandered a seven-game win streak to a struggling New Orleans Pelicans team on Christmas Day, something high-caliber teams normally don't do. The Pelicans have had the Nuggets' number this season, responsible for two of their nine defeats.

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Furthermore, Denver just doesn't look as dangerous as it did last season, with Nikola Jokic a bit off-kilter, a shaky Gary Harris, and a bench unit that simply does not look as threatening as it did last season, when it rivaled the Los Angeles Clippers for the title of best in the league.

The Nuggets might have the fifth-best record in the league at 21-9, but there has yet to be any indication that they can make a deep run in the playoffs — still to have that big performance that will turn heads and lift their fans' spirits.

Denver will have the opportunity to make a statement coming up soon, with a five-game road trip starting in Houston against the Rockets on New Year's Eve. The trip also features games against the Indiana Pacers and Dallas Mavericks.